H
ello there, ladies and gentlemen. Are you ready to rock? Then get ready for Cheap Trick At Budokan. The band’s first live album is recorded in Tokyo (the land of one thousand screaming seagulls), and nothing could be cooler. Except for maybe the two new songs they reveal here: “Need Your Love” and “Lookout.” Outside of that, it’s pretty straightforward stuff. They’ve got a great set list, they know it, and they don’t trouble themselves with lingering over anything for too long. Bun E. Carlos unleashes the earliest drum solo in recent memory (the opening “Hello There”), but otherwise not too many surprises. The biggest surprise is that this album went platinum before their other records. Who knew that recording a live album in Japan could open the American floodgates? At the time of its release, Cheap Trick had effectively inherited the mantle of The Beatles, from ELO apparently. They were on top of the world, and the revolution was being broadcast from Tokyo. Wasn’t that a shame, indeed. But the Japanese teens got what we didn’t: that the power-pop of Cheap Trick was the sweetest confection in the world. When they ripped into their version of “I Want You To Want Me,” was there a better band in the world? Nope. We needed them more than they needed us, and they knew it. Every band in the world should be able to ride the crest of a wave this high at least once, just as payback for all the hoarse throats and blistered fingers that pave the path the stardom. I’ve groused before about single live albums and how they rarely leave me satiated, but Cheap Trick At Budokan is an exception. Sure, I’d have loved to hear “She’s A Whore” or “Downed,” but that’s quibbling. Budokan gets the job done, drives the spike, and does it all without homefield advantage. Nicely done, boys.